diff --git a/lib/OpenLayers.js b/lib/OpenLayers.js
index 54a02dfe54..440660b320 100644
--- a/lib/OpenLayers.js
+++ b/lib/OpenLayers.js
@@ -67,6 +67,7 @@ if (typeof(_OPENLAYERS_SFL_) == "undefined") {
 //        "OpenLayers/Layer/Google.js",
 //        "OpenLayers/Layer/VirtualEarth.js",
 //        "OpenLayers/Layer/Yahoo.js",
+        "OpenLayers/Layer/HTTPRequest.js",
         "OpenLayers/Layer/Grid.js",
         "OpenLayers/Layer/KaMap.js",
         "OpenLayers/Layer/Markers.js",
diff --git a/lib/OpenLayers/Layer/HTTPRequest.js b/lib/OpenLayers/Layer/HTTPRequest.js
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..c1e75ea61d
--- /dev/null
+++ b/lib/OpenLayers/Layer/HTTPRequest.js
@@ -0,0 +1,136 @@
+/* Copyright (c) 2006 MetaCarta, Inc., published under the BSD license.
+ * See http://svn.openlayers.org/trunk/openlayers/license.txt for the full
+ * text of the license. */
+// @require: OpenLayers/Layer.js
+// @require: OpenLayers/Util.js
+
+/**
+ * @class
+ */
+OpenLayers.Layer.HTTPRequest = Class.create();
+OpenLayers.Layer.HTTPRequest.prototype = 
+  Object.extend( new OpenLayers.Layer(), {
+
+    /** @type String */
+    url: null,
+
+    /** @type Hash */
+    params: null,
+
+    /**
+     * @constructor
+     * 
+     * @param {str} name
+     * @param {str} url
+     * @param {hash} params
+     * @param {Object} options Hash of extra options to tag onto the layer
+     */
+    initialize: function(name, url, params, options) {
+        var newArguments = arguments;
+        if (arguments.length > 0) {
+            newArguments = [name, options];
+        }          
+        OpenLayers.Layer.prototype.initialize.apply(this, newArguments);
+        this.url = url;
+        this.params = Object.extend( new Object(), params);
+    },
+
+    /**
+     * 
+     */
+    destroy: function() {
+        this.url = null;
+        this.params = null;
+        OpenLayers.Layer.prototype.destroy.apply(this, arguments); 
+    },
+    
+   /**
+    * @param {Object} obj
+    * 
+    * @returns An exact clone of this OpenLayers.Layer.HTTPRequest
+    * @type OpenLayers.Layer.HTTPRequest
+    */
+    clone: function (obj) {
+        
+        if (obj == null) {
+            obj = new OpenLayers.Layer.HTTPRequest(this.name,
+                                                   this.url,
+                                                   this.params,
+                                                   this.options);
+        }
+        
+        //set any non-init vars here
+        
+        //get all additions from superclasses
+        return OpenLayers.Layer.prototype.clone.apply(this, [obj]);
+    },
+
+    /** 
+     * @param {String} newUrl
+     */
+    setUrl: function(newUrl) {
+        this.url = newUrl;
+    },
+
+    
+    /**  Deprecated wrapper for mergeNewParams() just so as to not break 
+     *    anyone's code who might be using this
+     * 
+     * @deprecated
+     * @param {Object} newParams
+     */
+    changeParams:function(newParams) {
+        this.mergeNewParams(newParams);
+    },
+
+    /**
+     * @param {Object} newParams
+     */
+    mergeNewParams:function(newParams) {
+        this.params = Object.extend(this.params, newParams);
+    },
+    
+
+    /** combine the layer's url with its params and these newParams. 
+    *   
+    *    does checking on the serverPath variable, allowing for cases when it 
+    *     is supplied with trailing ? or &, as well as cases where not. 
+    *
+    *    return in formatted string like this:
+    *        "server?key1=value1&key2=value2&key3=value3"
+    * 
+    * @param {Object} newParams
+    * 
+    * @type String
+    */
+    getFullRequestString:function(newParams) {
+        
+        //requestString always starts with url
+        var requestString = this.url;        
+
+        // create a new params hash with all the layer params and the 
+        // new params together. then convert to string
+        var allParams = Object.extend(new Object(), this.params);
+        var allParams = Object.extend(allParams, newParams);
+        var paramsString = OpenLayers.Util.getParameterString(allParams);
+
+        if (paramsString != "") {
+            var lastServerChar = this.url.charAt(this.url.length - 1);
+            if ((lastServerChar == "&") || (lastServerChar == "?")) {
+                requestString += paramsString;
+            } else {
+                if (this.url.indexOf('?') == -1) {
+                    //serverPath has no ? -- add one
+                    requestString += '?' + paramsString;
+                } else {
+                    //serverPath contains ?, so must already have paramsString at the end
+                    requestString += '&' + paramsString;
+                }
+            }
+        }
+        return requestString;
+    },
+
+    /** @final @type String */
+    CLASS_NAME: "OpenLayers.Layer.HTTPRequest"
+});
diff --git a/tests/list-tests.html b/tests/list-tests.html
index 27133020b8..a78d5dc17c 100644
--- a/tests/list-tests.html
+++ b/tests/list-tests.html
@@ -10,6 +10,7 @@
     <li>test_Events.html</li>
     <li>test_Util.html</li>
     <li>test_Layer.html</li>
+    <li>test_Layer_HTTPRequest.html</li>
     <li>test_Layer_Markers.html</li>
     <li>test_Layer_Text.html</li>
     <li>test_Layer_GeoRSS.html</li>
diff --git a/tests/test_Layer_HTTPRequest.html b/tests/test_Layer_HTTPRequest.html
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..398cd71c8c
--- /dev/null
+++ b/tests/test_Layer_HTTPRequest.html
@@ -0,0 +1,193 @@
+<html>
+<head>
+  <script src="../lib/OpenLayers.js"></script>
+  <script type="text/javascript"><!--
+    var layer; 
+
+    var name = "Test Layer";
+    var url = "http://octo.metacarta.com/cgi-bin/mapserv";
+    var params = { map: '/mapdata/vmap_wms.map', 
+                   layers: 'basic', 
+                   format: 'image/png'};
+    var options = { chicken: 151, foo: "bar" };
+
+    function test_01_Layer_HTTPRequest_constructor (t) {
+        t.plan( 5 );
+
+        layer = new OpenLayers.Layer.HTTPRequest(name, url, params, options);
+        
+        t.ok( layer instanceof OpenLayers.Layer.HTTPRequest, "new OpenLayers.Layer.HTTPRequest returns correctly typed object" );
+
+        // correct bubbling up to Layer.initialize()
+        t.eq( layer.name, name, "layer.name is correct" );
+        t.ok( ((layer.options["chicken"] == 151) && (layer.options["foo"] == "bar")), "layer.options correctly set" );
+
+        // HTTPRequest-specific properties
+        t.eq( layer.url, url, "layer.name is correct" );
+        t.ok( ((layer.params["map"] == '/mapdata/vmap_wms.map') && 
+               (layer.params["layers"] == "basic") &&
+               (layer.params["format"] == "image/png")), "layer.params correctly set" );
+
+
+    }
+
+    function test_02_Layer_HTTPRequest_clone (t) {
+        t.plan( 6 );
+        
+        var toClone = new OpenLayers.Layer.HTTPRequest(name, url, params, options);
+        toClone.chocolate = 5;
+
+        var layer = toClone.clone();
+
+        t.eq(layer.chocolate, 5, "correctly copied randomly assigned property");
+
+        t.ok( layer instanceof OpenLayers.Layer.HTTPRequest, "new OpenLayers.Layer.HTTPRequest returns correctly typed object" );
+
+        // correct bubbling up to Layer.initialize()
+        t.eq( layer.name, name, "layer.name is correct" );
+        t.ok( ((layer.options["chicken"] == 151) && (layer.options["foo"] == "bar")), "layer.options correctly set" );
+
+        // HTTPRequest-specific properties
+        t.eq( layer.url, url, "layer.name is correct" );
+        t.ok( ((layer.params["map"] == '/mapdata/vmap_wms.map') && 
+               (layer.params["layers"] == "basic") &&
+               (layer.params["format"] == "image/png")), "layer.params correctly set" );
+
+    }
+
+    function test_03_Layer_HTTPRequest_setUrl (t) {
+        t.plan( 1 );
+
+        layer = new OpenLayers.Layer.HTTPRequest(name, url, params, options);
+        
+        layer.setUrl("foo");
+        t.eq( layer.url, "foo", "setUrl() works");
+    }
+
+
+    /**
+     * @deprecated
+     */
+    function test_04_Layer_HTTPRequest_changeParams (t) {
+        t.plan( 3 );
+
+        layer = new OpenLayers.Layer.HTTPRequest(name, url, params, options);
+        
+        var newParams = { layers: 'sooper', 
+                          chickpeas: 'image/png'};
+
+        layer.changeParams(newParams);
+        
+        t.eq( layer.params.layers, "sooper", "changeParams() overwrites well");
+        t.eq( layer.params.chickpeas, "image/png", "changeParams() adds well");
+
+        newParams.chickpeas = 151;
+
+        t.eq( layer.params.chickpeas, "image/png", "changeParams() makes clean copy of hash");
+
+
+    }
+
+    function test_05_Layer_HTTPRequest_mergeNewParams (t) {
+        t.plan( 3 );
+
+        layer = new OpenLayers.Layer.HTTPRequest(name, url, params, options);
+        
+        var newParams = { layers: 'sooper', 
+                          chickpeas: 'image/png'};
+
+        layer.mergeNewParams(newParams);
+        
+        t.eq( layer.params.layers, "sooper", "changeParams() overwrites well");
+        t.eq( layer.params.chickpeas, "image/png", "changeParams() adds well");
+
+        newParams.chickpeas = 151;
+
+        t.eq( layer.params.chickpeas, "image/png", "changeParams() makes clean copy of hash");
+
+
+    }
+
+    function test_06_Layer_HTTPRequest_getFullRequestString (t) {
+
+        tParams = { layers: 'basic', 
+                   format: 'image/png'};
+        
+        t.plan( 7 );
+
+  // without ?        
+        tUrl = "http://octo.metacarta.com/cgi-bin/mapserv";
+        layer = new OpenLayers.Layer.HTTPRequest(name, tUrl, tParams, null);
+        str = layer.getFullRequestString();
+        t.eq(str, "http://octo.metacarta.com/cgi-bin/mapserv?layers=basic&format=image/png", "getFullRequestString() works for url sans ?");
+
+
+  // with ?        
+        tUrl = "http://octo.metacarta.com/cgi-bin/mapserv?";
+        layer = new OpenLayers.Layer.HTTPRequest(name, tUrl, tParams, null);
+        str = layer.getFullRequestString();
+        t.eq(str, "http://octo.metacarta.com/cgi-bin/mapserv?layers=basic&format=image/png", "getFullRequestString() works for url with ?");
+
+  // with ?param1=5
+        tUrl = "http://octo.metacarta.com/cgi-bin/mapserv?param1=5";
+        layer = new OpenLayers.Layer.HTTPRequest(name, tUrl, tParams, null);
+        str = layer.getFullRequestString();
+        t.eq(str, "http://octo.metacarta.com/cgi-bin/mapserv?param1=5&layers=basic&format=image/png", "getFullRequestString() works for url with ?param1=5");
+
+ 
+  // with ?param1=5&
+        tUrl = "http://octo.metacarta.com/cgi-bin/mapserv?param1=5&";
+        layer = new OpenLayers.Layer.HTTPRequest(name, tUrl, tParams, null);
+        str = layer.getFullRequestString();
+        t.eq(str, "http://octo.metacarta.com/cgi-bin/mapserv?param1=5&layers=basic&format=image/png", "getFullRequestString() works for url with ?param1=5&");
+
+  // passing in new params
+        layer = new OpenLayers.Layer.HTTPRequest(name, tUrl, tParams, null);
+        str = layer.getFullRequestString( { chicken: 6, 
+                                            layers:"road" } );
+        t.eq(str, "http://octo.metacarta.com/cgi-bin/mapserv?param1=5&layers=road&format=image/png&chicken=6", "getFullRequestString() works for passing in new params");
+
+  // layer with null params
+        layer = new OpenLayers.Layer.HTTPRequest(name, tUrl, null, null);
+        str = layer.getFullRequestString();
+        t.eq(str, "http://octo.metacarta.com/cgi-bin/mapserv?param1=5&", "getFullRequestString() works for layer with null params");
+
+  // layer with null params passing in new params
+        layer = new OpenLayers.Layer.HTTPRequest(name, tUrl, null, null);
+        str = layer.getFullRequestString( { chicken: 6, 
+                                            layers:"road" } );
+        t.eq(str, "http://octo.metacarta.com/cgi-bin/mapserv?param1=5&chicken=6&layers=road", "getFullRequestString() works for layer with null params passing in new params");
+
+    }
+
+    function test_99_Layer_HTTPRequest_destroy (t) {
+        t.plan( 6 );    
+
+        var map = new OpenLayers.Map('map');
+
+        layer = new OpenLayers.Layer.HTTPRequest("Test Layer",
+                                                 "http://www.openlayers.org", 
+                                                 { foo: 2, bar: 3}, 
+                                                 { opt1: 8, opt2: 9});
+
+        map.addLayer(layer);
+        layer.destroy();
+ 
+        // Ensure Layer.destroy() is called
+        t.eq( layer.name, null, "layer.name is null after destroy" );
+        t.eq( layer.div, null, "layer.div is null after destroy" );
+        t.eq( layer.map, null, "layer.map is null after destroy" );
+        t.eq( layer.options, null, "layer.options is null after destroy" );
+ 
+ 
+        // Specific to HTTPRequest 
+        t.eq( layer.url, null, "layer.url is null after destroy" );
+        t.eq( layer.params, null, "layer.params is null after destroy" );
+    }
+  // -->
+  </script>
+</head>
+<body>
+  <div id="map"></div>
+</body>
+</html>